Battlefields Experience Trip – Day 4 (Part A)

Today was a hard fought day for the emotions of the the First Bucksburn Pals. Colonel Esslemont led her men in remembrance of those who have fallen.

Essex Farm Cemetery

“Essex Farm told a great story about a young medic/doctor who was helping the victims of the first gas attack. When he was told his best friend had died, he got very upset about this but gained confidence after he saw a field of poppies and wrote a poem about it.”

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“It was a shock to hear about a 15 year old boy fighting and dying in the war. It was a shock because he was so young, my age, and he was only 13 when he joined the army.”

Poelkapelle Cemetery

“Trying to imagine what an unknown soldier would be like reminded me of my friend at home, and I thought nobody should end up like that. Though it almost had a romantic atmosphere to it, lying peacefully forever without anybody crying over a grave. It also shows how close family can be, with the example of a line of a song on a gravestone.”

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“I felt so devastated to think of all the unknown, unvisited soldiers. It was awful to think so many would never have been visited if not for people like us. I was happy to remember the unknown though. To see my soldier.”

Tynecot Cemetery

“We marched in fours like a real pals battalion. We sang songs as well. We marched to the biggest British cemetery. It even had four German soldiers buried in it. I was amazed how big it was.”

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“Marching was quite eye-opening. I realised just how far you would have to go through machine gun fire and barbed wire to get to the enemy. I was shocked at the amount of graves.”

Langemark Cemetery

“I liked seeing the German graves as they showed the differences between the cultures. It was a change from seeing lots and lots of British graves.”

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“I was shocked to see how many Germans were in such a small place and how the Brits, French and Belgians treat the graves with so much respect. I liked how they were completely different to the British graves.”

Entry into Ypres

“Ypres was beautiful. The church was so nice, I’m glad it wasn’t completely ruined in the war as it was a place that many people would like and think is nice. I guess it made me feel proud that Britain had protected it.”

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“Ypres was an enjoyable place to be and with all the historic events, the entrance with our Scotland the Brave was nice and memorable. It made me feel proud to have made it into Ypres and proud to be Scottish.”